News Update
June 13, 2016
Building on a Tradition
Intent on the task at hand, Kirk Willoughby brings his John Deere to a halt and smoothly adds another round bale into the hay grinder. There are no days off, especially when you are your only employee, but that’s fine with him.
Every day Willoughby wakes to his long-term joy and obligation — doing the best he can to maintain the ranching tradition that has been in his family for many generations. The Angus cow-calf operation at the heart of that effort is nestled in the hills near small-town Reynolds, Neb., just a few miles from the Kansas border.
“When my dad was in the war, World War II, his dad called and told him this pasture was up for sale,” Willoughby explains. “He wanted in on it, so he sent enough money home to buy it.”
The returning soldier purchased their first Angus heifers, and a generation’s span later, his son bought their first white-face cattle.
“Dad had Angus, so I just bought Herefords to keep them separate,” Willoughby says. “That was back in 1976 when it didn’t matter what color they were.”
To continue reading, access the Angus Media news article online.
New Canadian Angus Association
Board Members and Executive
The Canadian Angus Association (CAA) is pleased to announce the new board executive selected during the Canadian Angus National Convention in Quebec City, Que., Canada.
David Sibbald of Calgary, Alta., was elevated from the position of president elect to president. Tammi Ribey of Paisley, Ont., moved into the past president position and Brett Wildman of Sangudo, Alta., was chosen as president elect.
Sibbald, his wife Mary Beth and sons Dylan and Adam operate SSS Red Angus which was established in 1972. Sibbald is a fifth-generation rancher and is also the First Vice President of the Calgary Stampede. He has judged several Canadian national cattle shows along with numerous 4-H shows in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, and is a proven noted industry and organizational leader, planner and thinker. Sibbald was elected to the Board in 2013.
Wildman, elected in 2014, will be the third member of his family to serve on the CAA Board of Directors executive. Brett’s father, David, was president in 1990 and his brother, Kirk, was president in 2010. Brett owns and operates Wildman Livestock with wife Traci and their daughter, Paige.
For more information, please view the news release online.
Download K-State ASI App for BIF Coverage
Be sure to download the Kansas State University (K-State) Department of Animal Sciences and Industry (ASI) app to stay informed about the 2016 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Annual Meeting and Research Symposium. Themed “Progress on the Prairie,” this year’s event will be June 14-17 in Manhattan, Kan., and headquartered at the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center. The app is available on Google Play and Apple stores or visit the K-State ASI website.
This year’s BIF symposium features two and a half days of educational programming and a full day of tours. The first morning’s general session — “Opportunities for the Beef Value Chain: Can we become more coordinated and more profitable?” — will feature Ted Schroeder and Glynn Tonsor, K-State; John Stika, Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB); Brad Morgan, Performance Food Group; and Keith Belk, Colorado State University (CSU).
For more information, view the K-State news release online.
CAA Launches Business Development Team
During Commercial Cattlemen’s Day at the CAA’s National Convention in Quebec City, Que., CEO Rob Smith launched a new Business Development Team which replaces the existing field services structure effective immediately.
The Business Development Team consists of Brian Good, senior director of business development British Columbia and Alberta; Bob Toner, director of business development Saskatchewan and Manitoba; and Cheryl Hazenberg, director of business development, Eastern Canada. Good and Hazenberg are long-time CAA staff members and Toner is a new employee.
Each director on the Business Development Team will help maintain the CAA at the forefront of Canada’s national seedstock sector and cattle and beef production industry.
For more information, view the CAA news release online.
CAA Launches Commercial Angus Programs
One year after announcing the Commercial Angus Identification and Performance Program (CAIPP), CAIPP was formally launched at Cattlemen’s Connection Day during the Canadian Angus National Convention in Quebec City, Que., by Taylor Isley, CAA CAIPP coordinator and David Saretsky of Cantriex Livestock International Inc.
CAIPP is an initiative based on the Angus Tag program to provide pedigree and performance data to commercial producers that they can use to make selection decisions and market their cattle. The program is designed to enable producers to record pedigree and performance information on crossbred cattle and to record feeder calf performance at the farm, feedlot and packing plant. Producers will have access to parent verification, animal records, performance endorsements, a sire summary and in-herd indexes of calves.
To read more, view the CAA news release online.
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